DEPRESSION IN GRANDPARENTS RAISING GRANDCHILDREN - RESULTS OF A NATIONAL LONGITUDINAL-STUDY

Objectives: To assess the effect of undertaking custodial care of a gr andchild on grandparents' depression levels and to determine what char acteristics are associated with higher depression levels among caregiv ing grandparents. Design: A longitudinal national probability panel st udy: the National Survey of Families and Households. The first wave of data (n=13 008) was collected in 1987 and 1988, and the second wave o f data (n=10 008) was collected from 1992 through 1994. Setting: The s urvey was conducted in respondents' households in the coterminous Unit ed States. Participants: The subsample for this study was composed of 3111 respondents who reported being grandparents during the 1992-1994 interviews and for whom complete depression information was available. Of these grandparents, 158 were the primary caregivers for their gran dchildren in the 1990s. Main Outcome Measures: Depression was measured using a modified version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies De pression Scale. Results: Those who provide primary care for a grandchi ld are almost twice as likely to have levels of depressive symptoms ab ove the traditional Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scal e cut point of 16 (25.1% vs 14.5%). Even when controlling for baseline depression and demographic variables known to affect depressive sympt oms, undertaking the care of a grandchild was associated significantly with higher depression levels in a multivariate prospective analysis (P<.01). Among caregiving grandparents, those who recently assumed car egiving responsibilities (P<.05) and women (P<.10) were more depressed and older respondents (P<.10) and those in good health (P<.001) were less depressed. Conclusions: Undertaking the primary care of a grandch ild is associated with an increase in levels of depression. Particular ly in light of the recent dramatic increase in the prevalence of grand parent caregiving in the United States, physicians need to explore fam ilial role changes with midlife and older patients who have symptoms o f depression. Special attention should be paid to the most at-risk sub sets of grandparent caregivers: those who are new caregivers, those in poor health, those who are younger, and women.